What We Lack
by JavertInMiniature
Summary: Éponine loves Marius. Enjolras loves France. Grantaire loves Enjolras... at least, that's all Éponine knows; that's all she sees. Modern AU Éponine/Grantaire, T for drinking and romantic stuff. (I'm paranoid.)
1. Preparations

**I usually don't write romance, so this might come out kind of weird. DON'T MURDER ME FOR THIS! Please! Yes, I realize this may be kind of unrealistic, but what can I say? It came to me yesterday when I was thinking about this thing that happened last week. So these first chapters are partially based on an actual experience, and the rest, well, that's where this becomes fiction.**

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Éponine sat in front of the mirror for what seemed like an eternity. She was by no means vain, but her appearance today was not for herself. "_What will he think? What does he see?_" she thought frantically as she dabbed makeup over every bruise and scar. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps in the hall drove Éponine into a deeper panic than before.

"Éponine? What are you doing?" Grantaire. Maybe not the best choice, but at least someone she could trust. Éponine laughed. He had visited her in her dorm so many times that he knew exactly how to enter the room without her being able to see his reflection.

"Buzz off, Grantaire. I told you I'm not partying this week."

"I didn't come to ask you about a party. Geez, 'Ponine, do you really think I'm that one-sided?" He tried to fake puppy-dog eyes.

"Of course I don't think so, my dearest," she said with all the mock sweetness she could muster. As Éponine said this, she walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek. "I know so." A gentle slap.

"All this, after all I did was be nice to you? That hurts, 'Ponine. Not just the face, but the soul more." Grantaire's smile killed whatever chance he may have had at gaining Éponine's pity.

"Congratulations, you learned how to write poetry. Now, do I look alright?" Despite her friend's best efforts, Éponine's panic returned at once.

"No worse than usual. Why so much makeup? Éponine, is there something you're not telling me?"

She blushed and slumped back into her chair. "Marius asked to see me today. He's meeting me at the coffee shop. We haven't talked in ages, Grantaire, now suddenly he wants to see me? Alone? What could this mean?"

Grantaire in that moment recognized her pain and even felt a bit of it himself, for reasons he would never say. He had always loved Enjolras for obvious reasons, but now he was starting to look at his dear 'Ponine differently. At least Éponine was capable of having feelings for another human being, but sadly, it was not him. He knelt by her chair and ran his hand over her hair. "Hey." She looked him in the eye with a broken expression. "You're gonna be fine, okay? If it goes badly, or if you need someone to talk to, I'll stay in my dorm all night. Don't even bother calling or knocking. Just come in if you need someone."

Éponine smiled at him. Grantaire had always been the sweetest person she knew. Her heart was lost to Marius, but Grantaire was definitely her best friend. "Sorry, buddy. I'd love to come over, but I promised 'Zelma I'd visit her tonight. You know our family. We always have to have reunions when our parents aren't around."

A little ashamed, Grantaire helped Éponine to her feet and stood up along with her. "Alrighty then. Tell Gavroche I said hi. Well, I think I hear Madame Whiskey calling my name."

Éponine laughed. "Hopefully your wine rack doesn't learn you've been cheating on her." She pulled him into a tight hug. "Goodnight, Grantaire. See you around."

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**So, there's chapter one for ya. Next one will be longer, I promise.**


	2. Éponine's Errand

**Okay. This is where the actual story starts. Sorry about the last chapter. Normally I don't put that much exposition into one chapter, but it didn't seem right to just carry on without a break. So this next chapter begins like 20 minutes after Grantaire leaves Éponine's dorm (which, by the way, he was never there for THAT purpose, gutterminds. ;) ) The idea for this story actually started with this chapter. Éponine's interactions with Marius and Grantaire here are actually based on things that happened to me last week. In fact, this whole thing started with one look at my friend Grant, whom I call Grantaire (and if you knew him, you'd know exactly why). So, here we go. Awkward interactions between Éponine and Marius to ensue.**

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Éponine sat at the table outside the coffee shop with no sign of Marius for the longest five minutes of her life. Was Grantaire right? Did she actually look good, or was Grantaire just being... Grantaire? Suddenly, she saw a flash of blue off in the distance. Marius. She braced herself in the metal chair for whatever may come.

Éponine had tried very hard to be beautiful. Still, as pretty as she was, Marius was radiant. As good as she was, Marius was perfect. And yet, for once they were alone together. She hadn't even asked him to come - it was his idea to begin with! The moment could hardly be more perfect.

"Éponine?" Marius could sometimes be incredibly shy, even with his best friends. He approached her chair and drew her into a hug, his typical greeting for only her. Of course, these moments were never long enough for her. She would almost risk not seeing him for long periods of time just to see if his greeting would be more enthusiastic. With quickened pulse and knocking knees, Éponine motioned for her love to sit down beside her.

Marius was terrible at small talk, and he enjoyed being with Éponine purely because he rarely had to use small talk with her. However, he was totally at a loss for words. "So... how's the theatre?"

"Alright, I guess. Nothing quite like being forced to kiss Grantaire every day."

Marius laughed. "If you didn't want to be Lady Macbeth, you should have told the director that." He shifted uneasily in his seat. "Éponine, there's something I've really wanted to tell you."

Éponine hoped with all her being that she would not collapse. She was thankful that she was sitting outside, pressed against cold metal chairs and tables. "Well, go on then. I'm listening."

"I've met the most incredible girl, Éponine. She's a soprano in the choir, and she's perfect in every way. I'm thinking of asking her out."

Tears formed in the back of Éponine's eyes, but she would never allow them to fall in front of anyone, let alone Marius. "What's her name? Do you know much about her?"

"No." When Marius blushed, the redness in his face looked like it was trying to mask the eternal freckles that lived there. "She's a first soprano, and she solos on Green Finch and Linnet Bird. Do you think you could find out who she is for me?"

Éponine did not need to find anything out. Marius had fallen in love with her own roommate, Cosette Fauchelevaunt. Like today couldn't get any worse. "What does she look like?"

It was the answer Éponine dreaded most. "She's the most beautiful blonde you'll ever see, with these giant blue eyes and a perfect smile." Cosette. He had described her perfectly.

"Marius, you're drunk." Sarcasm was her only defense now against bursting into tears.

"What? No, never! Besides, you're one to talk! I can smell the whiskey on you from here."

Éponine blushed hard. "I told you, I've been spending a lot of time with Grantaire. It's not my fault he's a walking bar." He laughed. "I'll see what I can do, Marius. There's lots of things I know." Marius smiled in a way that proved he was, in fact, drunk. He rushed away without so much as another glance her direction. Éponine knew that he was not normally so rude, and may even apologize later, but she was even more certain of one thing: it was over. No one ever stopped loving Cosette, and of all people, Marius especially wouldn't. Alone and quite ashamed, Éponine slunk into the coffee shop and sat down at an unoccupied two-seater.

"Please, Azelma, how long before you can get here?" She didn't care if anyone heard her; she whispered it out loud. Slouching in the new chair, Éponine began to review her lines from Macbeth. "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts..." She felt a pair of eyes on her. A boy she didn't recognize was walking away from a booth, and above the top of the booth she could only see a pair of eyes. A man's eyes. A handsome man, at that. As soon as he noticed her looking at him, he averted his eyes. "_Great,_" she thought, although she was slightly intrigued. "_Just what I need right now. Silent flirting._" As time went on, she would look up every few minutes at the man. His skin was pale, but his eyes and hair were quite dark. She had just worked up the nerve to go over and talk to him when she saw Azelma pull up next to the shop with Gavroche in the back seat. Giving them a wave, she slipped out the door and around the corner.

Although the opportunity had passed, Éponine's curiosity drove her to look back through the window at the mysterious flirt. As she passed the booth where he had sat, her heart and mind simultaneously screamed "OH HELL NO."

Of all the people in the world who could have been sitting there. To add insult to injury, he gave an absentminded smile and waved at her.

Of all the people in the world.

Grantaire.


	3. Drink With Me (Or Not)

**So this is where the story becomes completely, 100% fiction. I swear. Seriously. Sorry if I write Azelma out of character; I have really only seen the movie. Don't judge me. I really only wrote this thing because Grantaire deserves some love, and Enjolras is highly unlikely to give him any love of any kind. A big thank you to any of you still reading this, ESPECIALLY my followers. It means a lot :)**

* * *

"So you're absolutely sure Mom and Dad won't know we were here?" Éponine's nerves had not calmed the slightest all day.

"Relax, 'Ponine, our little brother is the best lockpick in town."

Gavroche turned around with a slightly annoyed expression. "I'm not a lockpick; I'm a pickpocket. I stole the key fair and square." His long blonde hair flipped when he turned, making him even more adorable than usual.

Azelma ruffled his hair. "Alright, already. Just can you please open the door with your stolen key and let us in? I'm starving."

Taking special care to straighten his hair then stick his tongue out at Azelma, Gavroche took a small key out of his jeans pocket and shoved it into the lock. The door, with some coaxing from him and Éponine, eventually opened. The place was empty, thankfully. Typical night. The elder Thenardiers must have gone out drinking with the rest of the Patron-Minette. However, even Éponine couldn't be too careful. "You didn't answer my first question."

"The only traces we leave are far too subtle for them to notice. Besides, they're not even in town today. They've gone where they think Javert won't find them to run their little Craigslist scam."

That was all that needed to be said. Gavroche didn't need to know the horrors his parents committed, and his sisters had far more first-hand experiences than they would ever admit. Without another word, Azelma disappeared into the kitchen and grabbed a small, dark bag from beneath the sink. From it, she drew several 20 dollar bills.

"Why 'Zelma, wherever did you get those?" Éponine asked with sarcastic shock.

"I've learned well from our parents, dear sister. Always ready to relieve 'em of a sou or two."

"But how in hell do you do it without them noticing?"

"There are some things even you shouldn't know about me. Now come on. Where are we going?"

After a short drive, the three decided it would be best simply to get what was necessary from a grocery store and eat in the car. "Some family reunion," said Éponine, in an attempt to break the silence.

"Well alright, how was your day then? Why were you at the coffee shop when we came to pick you up?" Gavroche had a particular talent for getting right to the heart of a matter.

"I... had to meet someone."

"Who?" Azelma was not quite as quick as her brother, but she did have her moments.

Éponine had no reason to hide anything from her siblings. However, it wasn't an easy subject to recall so soon. "Marius." She almost swallowed the word, as if that would take back everything that had happened. Azelma frowned. She did not know Marius well, nor would she really like to, but she knew that her sister had very strong feelings for him.

"Are you alright?"

"He's in love." Éponine was beginning to choke up. "He's in love with my roommate, and he wants me to introduce them."

Even Gavroche knew to be silent for the rest of the night. Éponine simply said goodnight when Azelma dropped her off at her dorm and said nothing to anyone, but especially not Cosette.

Grantaire stared blankly at the bottle of wine he held by the neck. "Grantaire, what's wrong with you?" It was the first time in a month Enjolras had even acknowledged him. More than that, it was the first time in Grantaire's memory that he did not care what Enjolras was saying to him.

"Nothing. What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Grantaire, you're a bad enough liar when you're drunk. I don't know how it's possible, but you're even worse when you're sober." Enjolras took the bottle, which was full to his great surprise, from his roommate and set it back in the cabinet. "Look, I don't expect you to open up to me about your life. In fact, I'd rather you didn't. I have rallies to organize. Just don't lie to me outright, okay?"

Grantaire shrunk down into the corner. The world was so different when he was sober. Enjolras was still attractive, but there was something extremely intimidating about him. Was he always that way? Why had he never noticed? Grantaire didn't need wine today. He was drunk off Éponine's eyes.

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**I swear, this isn't where I'm ending the story. I don't know how much longer this is going to go on, but I definitely know I'll see it through until the performance of Macbeth. This may be on break for a while until I come up with an idea for the next chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews; I can't tell you how much I appreciate them!**


	4. The Color of Desire

**I would like to thank you all so much for your reviews! They've really helped me keep going with this. If you get the time, go on and check out my other stories as well. One is a Godspell story, for like the 5 of you out there who have seen Godspell (it's based on the movie because I've only ever seen one production of the play. If it matters, I went back to see that production three times). The other is yet another Les Mis one in which Javert actually survives. Okay. End infomercial.**

**I don't know why, but for some reason I imagined Cosette as Jayne Wisener. Seriously. All the characters in here are based off the actors from the movie except her. (Well, and Azelma. But that went without saying.) Also, no pun intended about betraying Marius. Happy Maundy Thursday, everyone.**

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"Cosette? Are you busy right now?" Éponine's heart sank further every second she realized what she was doing. However, she could not so easily betray Marius.

"Not particularly. Why, Éponine?" Cosette was one of those few people for whom it was probably impossible to do something harshly or mean. They had almost been friends as children even though Éponine's whole family hated Cosette.

Éponine's mind fumbled around with a way to tell Cosette what was actually happening. "I have a friend who wants to meet you."

Cosette blushed. "Really? Whatever would someone want to meet me for?"

At the moment, Éponine couldn't really think of any reason why someone wouldn't want to meet her roommate. "He likes your voice."

Cosette was completely taken aback, but obviously loving it. "Alright! He sounds lovely. I'd really like to meet him."

When Cosette and Éponine arrived in the Student Union, Marius was not expecting Éponine to have company. Éponine could see it in both of their eyes: love at first sight. "I'm probably going to go now; I've got some stuff I have to do." No one saw her cry as she left. It was a particular talent of Thenardier children that Cosette had once learned as well. No one knew; no one saw.

By the time Éponine reached the dorm, she couldn't hide her tears much longer. It was not her own dorm, for she didn't think she could bear to be there once Cosette returned from her first meeting with Marius. She knocked on the door, but after hearing no answer, she went in anyway. Éponine no longer cared.

"Éponine? What are you doing here?"

"Enjolras? Where's Grantaire?" Éponine was searching the tiny room, not even caring what Enjolras thought or what he would say.

"I don't know. Are you alright, 'Ponine?" It was the first time Enjolras had ever called her by her nickname.

Éponine thought for several seconds about whether or not to tell Enjolras what was happening. "No, but I will be. Just tell Grantaire I was here, okay?" She started for the door. The fierce blonde strode over and blocked it.

"Éponine, no. You're not okay, and neither is Grantaire. I may not look like I care, and most of the time I actually don't, but I care about both of you greatly. You're not leaving until he comes back."

What choice did she have? Éponine sat down, braced against the wall, and sobbed quietly to herself. Although he was busy writing a paper, Enjolras did find the time and the decency to hunt down a box of tissues and a wastebasket and offer them to her. She accepted.

Grantaire returned just in time to see Éponine with a straight face once more. But she was not going to fool him today. He could tell she had been crying, and hard. "Éponine? What's wrong today?"

Even though her face was composed, Éponine's voice was broken and shaky. "I just introduced Marius and Cosette." She didn't need to say any more. Grantaire pulled her in close and began stroking her dark chocolate hair. Although he could feel Éponine's pain, a small part of him was happy that she had chosen him to console her. It may not be much, but at least he had this moment.

Enjolras gawked at the smile spreading across Grantaire's entire face. He had never understood love, and had no intention of doing so, but he could tell Grantaire was in love. Foolish Grantaire. He always favored emotion over everything. Wanting to both clear his mind and give his friend the privacy he felt he deserved, Enjolras slipped out of the room. His disappearance was not noticed, and for once, he liked it that way.


	5. The Color of Despair

**Sorry if this took too long. Probably not going to be the best chapter, as I'm really just buying time for poor Grantaire. These middle chapters may probably include lots of Macbeth quotes purely because it's my favorite drama.**

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"He has killed me, mother. Run away, I pray you!" Éponine always found this scene far too hard to watch. Every time she saw it, Gavroche took the place of the small, witty child dying on center stage. Most of the time she envisioned her own mother as the heartless mother of the child; however, the days it scared her the most were the days she saw herself.

"Murder! Murder! Murder!" Lady Macduff's screams broke Éponine's thoughts. Just as well. Those particular thoughts weren't worth brooding over. Grantaire strode over to Éponine as she leaned against one of the 2x4's that supported the set and yanked on her braid.

Secretly grateful for Grantaire's intervention, Éponine snapped immediately into character. "Better watch out, dearest husband," she whispered so the director would not hear her. "Remember, I'm still filled from the crown to the toe-top full of direst cruelty."

Grantaire leaned against the wall facing her. "What, is this a dagger I see before mine eyes?" He desperately wanted to finish the line. Had he been drunk, he might have. The fact of the matter was, Grantaire had not had a single drink since the night he spoke to Enjolras.

"The handle toward your hand." Éponine stood up, bringing her just a bit closer to him.

"_Come, let me clutch thee!_" For the first time in his immediate memory, Grantaire's better judgement was victorious over his usual judgement. He wanted to say it. Not just say it, but scream it. Make sure there was no way on Earth she didn't hear him. "Since when are you allowed to say my lines?" He almost choked on saying it. He wasn't even sure if it was what he was supposed to say, and definitely sure it wasn't what he wanted to say. The words came out anyway, and there was no way to take them back.

"Your lines, my lines, what does it matter when the director can't see us? What happens backstage stays backstage." Grantaire blushed hard. Realizing this, Éponine took a step back and silently cursed herself for embarrassing him. "Hail king of Scotland," she barely muttered before ducking away. Grantaire, heartbroken, slid down the wall until he hit the floor and let his head rest on his knees. A man dressed in all black sitting in the dark - who would see him? Not that that would matter anyway. What happens backstage stays backstage.

* * *

Éponine raced back to her dorm after practice without giving anyone else a second glance. She needed to apologize to Grantaire, but that was neither the place nor the time to do it. Also, a small part of her wanted some advice from either Cosette or Marius. While she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to talk to Marius right away, at least he would know partially how she could deal with the problem she had created for herself. When Éponine got to her dorm, there was a note on her bed, written in Cosette's perfect script. "Sorry I couldn't warn you ahead of time: Marius asked me to dinner and I don't know when I'll be back. Don't wait for me. ~Cosette"

Perhaps it was for the better. Neither Marius nor Cosette needed Éponine's drama right now. She would just have to sort this out for herself. She set out on the path she could have traced in her sleep. Éponine, she knew her way around. When she arrived at Grantaire's door, she did not even knock. "Grantaire? Enjolras?"

"Become quite the frequent here, haven't you?" A tiny smile played at the corner of Enjolras' mouth. Not that he would let Éponine see; he was far too busy with his essays.

"Enjolras, could you let Grantaire know I was here? And where is he?"

"You tell me. I haven't seen him all day. You guys had a Macbeth rehearsal, didn't you?" Éponine choked out a yes. Enjolras still did not turn around, and addressed his desk as if it were her. "What did he do now?"

"Nothing. I- oh, you wouldn't care. You always have better things to do."

While Éponine was right, Enjolras could not help but try to prove her wrong. "Try me. Didn't I say I cared about you both?"

Éponine sighed as Enjolras motioned for her to sit down. "Enjolras, I've loved Marius forever and a day."

"I gathered. Didn't you say you had to fix him up with your roommate?"

"I never said that much..."

"Must've been Grantaire. Go on."

"While I was sitting at the coffee shop trying to deal with Marius rejecting me, Grantaire started flirting with me, only I didn't recognize him." Enjolras snorted. "Shut up. Anyway, I got kind of mad when I realized who it was, so I started flirting with him today at practice to tease him. He got really embarrassed, so I told him it would stay backstage and then he stopped talking to me. Or anyone for that matter."

Enjolras was dumbfounded. He had always thought it was impossible, but here she was. Someone who was more blind to other people's emotions than he was. She impressed, disgusted, enraged, intrigued, and amused him all at once. "I'll tell Grantaire you came."

"Thank you Enjolras. This was nice. You're nice, when you indulge your human side."

It was in that moment Enjolras realized the root of the word irony: it could crush like an iron weight. Not only it could, but at the moment, it was.

* * *

**Okay, so it will probably be a while before I get the next chapter up. This time I'm serious. Apparently the doc manager isn't working at the moment. Until I figure out what's wrong with it as well as why Enjolras has more emotions than Éponine, happy Easter!**


	6. Turning

**I'm baaaaaaaack!**

**Yay, Doc manager working again! Vive la France! (That was really random. Sorry. I'm not even French. I'm German-Scandinavian-American by the way.)**

**On that note, this story doesn't even take place in France. It takes place mostly in Wauwatosa and other suburbs of Milwaukee because I'm terrible at visualizing things. So why, you may have just asked (I'm not the NSA. I don't know what you say to your computer.), does the description say "Enjolras loves France"? I didn't know when I first wrote this. Now I've decided that Enjolras is not so much a politician as just a French history nerd. Don't kill me for stuff like that. If anything bothers you though, just review or message me and I'll see how I can change it to make it better.**

* * *

Grantaire sat for ages in the darkened auditorium. The headache that had pounded for days was beginning to subside. Suddenly, a door opened, and Grantaire hoped for all the world that whoever was coming in would not notice him. "_Wait. Why am I even here? I shouldn't have to be afraid._" Still thankful that no one had entered, Grantaire slowly stood up and began to walk toward the door. For the first time in ages, he was not quite so sensitive to the light of the outdoors.

"Enjolras, I've looked everywhere I could imagine him being. I even checked the theatre, considering that's the last place I saw him, and there was no one there. What should I do?"

Enjolras became more and more surprised by Éponine's blindness every second. Seeing that he would get nowhere with lecturing her, he simply brushed her off as nicely as he could. "I don't know, Éponine. One thing is without fail, though. He'll come back by the end of the day. For now, you should probably go back to your own dorm. I'll tell you when he comes back, okay? I'm busy now, and you look like you could use some rest."

"Thank you, Enjolras." He turned back to his desk without a word, only giving her a thumbs-up. "Enjolras?" He stayed in place. "Could I get a hug?"

"No."

"I won't leave until I do."

"Ugh, fine." Enjolras for the most part regretted this entire afternoon. He had been reading a rather detailed account of the June Rebellion and liked it. There was something so tragic, so lovable about the leaders who had planned the rebellion, and he wanted to get back to reading about them. However, he could not do this until he hugged Éponine. "_Always do what must be done. Always duty._" Éponine trembled as he closed his arms around her shoulders. "_Seriously. How does Grantaire put up with doing this all the time?_" Still, he couldn't help but feel better for helping Éponine feel better. "Goodbye, Éponine. No doubt I'll see you soon." Éponine smiled as she set off for her own dorm.

Enjolras sat for a few minutes in the world of 1832 Paris when Grantaire came in. "Geez, Grantaire, Éponine's been here more often than you have over the past few days. Care to tell me what's going on?"

Grantaire looked at him with slight anger. "I'm in love, Enj. That's all I'm gonna say, cause I know you don't know and you don't care. You asked me to be honest, so there's the truth."

"Now, let's not jump to conclusions here. I care quite a bit when I don't have anything better to do."

Grantaire was completely shocked. "Do you now?"

Enjolras smiled at the book as he set it down. "No, no, not really."

* * *

"'Ponine. Grantaire's been located. -Enj"

"Did someone text you, Éponine?" As if Cosette weren't perfect enough, she could also hear a mouse's heartbeat under a foot of snow. Either that or a phone vibrating under Éponine's bed.

"Really? Thanks, Cosette." Éponine felt a little bad for generally avoiding Cosette her whole life. "By the way, how'd your date with Marius go?"

Cosette blushed. "What, that? It wasn't a date. He just wanted to get to know me better. Anyways, he's a really nice guy. I can see why you're best friends with him."

"You're sure it wasn't a date?"

"Yes, absolutely. I wish it was though."

Éponine knew she would hate what she was about to say. However, her inability to be nice to one best friend and his roommate made her feel obligated to be nice to her other best friend and her own roommate. "Why don't you tell him? I bet he likes you."

"Really, Éponine?" Cosette's face lit up like Éponine had never seen before.

"Call me 'Ponine." Cosette rushed over to her and hugged her tightly. It was strange, but Éponine did feel slightly relieved. Éponine returned to her phone and, reading Enjolras' message, typed back "Don't try to stop me. I'm coming over. Don't tell him. -'Ponine"

By the time Éponine reached Grantaire and Enjolras' dorm, Enjolras was standing outside. "What?" Enjolras held a finger to his lips. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"I told Grantaire I was going to the library. Nothing else. I wanted to be sure you'd get here before I left. See you around."

"Thanks, Enj." She stepped forward and spread out her arms.

"Don't even think about it." He walked away as quickly as possible.

"Grantaire? Can I come in?"

"Never stopped you before, has it?"

Grantaire's reply instantly made Éponine want to cry. She stepped in anyway. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sure. Probably just overreacting." Grantaire's heart thudded. He couldn't just unload everything he was feeling on her.

"No, you're not. Grantaire, I'm really sorry for what I did today. I was caught up in the moment and didn't realize flirting would embarrass you."

He stood up and walked over to her. "You didn't embarrass me. I embarrassed myself." Well, it was at least a little bit true. "I started it. It wasn't your fault. Thanks for coming, though."

Éponine looked at him questioningly. "Are you sure you're alright?" He nodded with a smile that was not customary, but at least genuine. "Alright then. I have some work to do, but I needed to see you first."

Grantaire thought his ribs would break for as hard as his heart was beating. As she hugged him, he lost control. After waiting a second, he pressed his lips into her forehead. "See you later, Éponine."

Éponine left as calmly as possible. As soon as she was out the door, she shot a panicked text to Enjolras. "Does Grantaire like anyone?"

Had he not been in a library, Enjolras would have laughed harder than he ever had in his life. Instead, he let out a muffled snort. "Imagine my face right now," he typed back. "Do I look like I would know?" He couldn't hold it back any longer. Slipping out of the library for a brief moment, he laughed until tears rolled down, staining his jacket burgundy.


	7. A World About to Dawn

**Hello everybody!**

**Don't judge me for this. I woke up at 4:30 this morning (which is better than Friday, when I woke up at 1 and decided to watch Man of Steel while I was writing because reasons which include and are mainly limited to Russell Crowe. Oops…) just to keep writing this.**

**As much as I'd like to continue, I'm running out of ideas a little bit. Also, I'm impatient and can't wait too long for Éponine and Grantaire to actually get together. Next chapter will be the performance of Macbeth and will result in Grantonine (I don't care, that's what I'm calling this), Mariette, and Enjolras+French history textbook.**

* * *

Éponine had been questioning what was happening for weeks. Suddenly Enjolras had become one of her closest friends, and Grantaire was avoiding her. Also, she no longer felt a lot of pain when she saw or heard anything from Marius and Cosette about each other.

She missed Grantaire above all things. As impossible as it seemed, she had started to like him in a way she didn't ever think she would. Every day, Éponine thought back to Grantaire's eyes peering over the top of the booth. It was like she could feel him staring at her, or still feel his lips pressing into her brow. What had he meant by that, anyways?

Puzzled, Éponine thought about whom she could ask for help. Enjolras? No. He neither knew nor cared. Azelma? No, she was probably busy. Éponine knew what her best option was, and she didn't like it very much. Trembling, she picked up her phone. "Marius, could you meet me at the coffee shop around 2? Thanks."

Two o'clock came faster than Éponine expected it to. When Marius came and sat next to her, her heart still fluttered, but not nearly as much as it used to. For that matter, not nearly as much as it did when she stood with Grantaire onstage.

"Hey, Éponine! What's up?"

"Marius, there's something I need to ask you."

"What is it, 'Ponine?" Éponine couldn't help but realize that Marius showed genuine concern when he asked. He wasn't perfect, but he was a good friend.

"Marius, I think I might be in love with Grantaire. Only I'm not sure if I should be." Éponine couldn't believe what was happening. Here she was, talking to Marius Pontmercy about the person she loved.

He smiled lovingly. "Éponine, don't question whether you should or should not love someone. If you are questioning whether or not you should be in love, the only thing that can come of that is you falling out of love. I don't wish that on anyone, especially you."

Éponine was completely at a loss for words. Was Marius really giving her this advice? Now she was sure she could tell him anything. "The thing is, I think he likes me, but I can never be sure. I've been really bad at reading people's signs in the past."

"What do you mean, in the past? Has this happened before?" Marius' oblivion would never cease to amaze Éponine. She drew in a quavering breath.

"And then, do you know Monsieur?" She coughed to break the tension. "I believe I was a little bit in love with you." Her eyes turned down to the ground.

Marius blushed, ashamed. She was his best friend, how had he not realized it? He laid his hand on her wrist. "Éponine, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I never realized that you had feelings for me until now. How long did this go on?"

Éponine wasn't sure whether or not she should tell the truth, but she did anyway. "Up until I realized I was falling for Grantaire."

Marius could not even look up at her. "Was this before or after you introduced me to Cosette?" he mumbled sheepishly.

"After." They looked away from each other.

"Éponine." Marius took both of her hands. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. Please forgive my ignorance, and tell me. If there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, you need only ask."

She squeezed his hands briefly before letting them go. "Marius? Will you and Cosette please come to see Macbeth?"

Marius smiled. "Of course, dear 'Ponine. Why wouldn't we?"

* * *

Éponine waited through the entire dress rehearsal. Whoever titled the week before opening night 'hell week' was not joking. Oh well, at least Grantaire was no longer avoiding her. Well, he wasn't quite so distant and cold anyways.

Act five scene nine had also become difficult for Éponine to sit through. Although technically her character was dead by that point, it was hard for her, while thinking in character, to hear the others talking about how they had just killed her husband.

Just as had happened before, Grantaire noticed her detachment from reality and tapped on her shoulder to distract her. "Hey. Can I tell you a secret?"

Éponine's heart raced. "What?"

Grantaire stepped up behind her and whispered in her ear "I'm not actually dead, you know. Macduff forgot to kill me."

Éponine became instantly grateful for the darkness behind the stage which hid an otherwise obvious fact: she was blushing. "May I tell you an even bigger secret, my love?" Grantaire's whole chest shook as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I am not dead either."

Grantaire, in that moment, broke character. Yet he still wanted Éponine to think he hadn't. Thankful that the darkness hid the ecstatic smile that was only for her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes. "Together at last…" he whispered as she clasped his elbows.

"Enj. Deliver a message to Grantaire once he gets back please. 'Ponine"

Enjolras hated this web Éponine and Grantaire had caught him up in. He was going to a performance of a play that wasn't even about France, he hugged Éponine, lied to Grantaire, hell. He _lived_ with Grantaire. What more could those two possibly want?

"This better be good, Jondrette. What should I tell him? -Enj"

"Éponine says we should stop faking it. Total honesty. You tell me when to start."

"Éponine Jondrette, what the hell did you do to him this time?!"

"None of your concern, Whatever-your-first-name-is Enjolras."

Enjolras sighed. "My name is Jacob. Now quit bothering me."


	8. The Night that Ends at Last

**Salvete and welcome to the final chapter of What We Lack! I can't thank you all enough, especially those of you who have taken the time to review. I couldn't have done it without you.**

**(Okay okay okay, there might be an epilogue, but you didn't hear that from me.)**

**Special thanks to:**

**Smiles1998, the reason why Enjolras has such a large part in this story  
****XxBraveSoulXx, who introduced me to this website  
****PhantomoftheBarricade1832, who has not stopped supporting me throughout this whole time  
****My friend Grant because Grantaire (only in chapter 2 though.)  
****Aaron Tveit, George Blagden, Eddie Redmayne and Sam Barks… do I even need to explain this one?  
****My best friend in the world, whom (due to an inside joke which I am not even allowed to know) I call Trout. He's a little bit Grantaire and a little bit Marius, but he's mostly Enjolras. (He's even blonde and, since he's not here I can say this, quite attractive.)  
****Finally my other best friend in the world, whom I call Barracuda. In fact, nearly all of my inspiration for Marius and Enjolras and even quite a bit of Grantaire is just rewritten from Barracuda's personality. Even though he has yet to see Les Mis (fear not, it's a project just over a year in the making).  
****Also Russell Crowe. Because Russell Crowe.**

* * *

Éponine awoke on Friday morning, already trembling. Cosette was still asleep. She checked her phone to see what time it was. 6 AM and a text from Enjolras, perfect.

"Grantaire got the message. He says he'll give you a response when he sees fit. -Enj" So anytime then. Perfect. Éponine got dressed as quietly as possible so as not to wake Cosette and went to the library, hoping to see Enjolras.

While he wasn't there immediately, he did show up relatively soon. Enjolras was just searching for another book about the French Revolution when he saw Éponine and decided on a copy of Macbeth instead. "Éponine? What are you doing here so early?"

"Didn't want to accidentally disturb Cosette. What about you?"

Enjolras laughed quietly. "I live here, didn't you know? I had to find someplace when you moved into my dorm."

Éponine blushed. "Sorry."

Enjolras laughed again and touched her shoulder. "Hey." She looked up at him. "It's fine. As much as I don't understand it, I can respect anything going on between you and Grantaire."

Éponine was completely shocked by his smile. It was so genuine, so honest, so unlike Enjolras. "Well what do you know? The man of marble with eyes of ice has a living heart after all."

"Don't jump to conclusions." Éponine could not help but notice he smirked as he said this. He went back to reading as she realized she had classes starting soon. She didn't say goodbye, as she figured distracting him from reading would only make him angry. Wait, was he reading Macbeth? Wow.

Éponine's day dragged on like a slug swimming through molasses. Every lecture was eternal, and every walk was just torture. The final level of hell was the time between her last lecture and her call time. When she finally arrived at the theater, Éponine thought her heart would explode. "_And to think, you haven't even seen Grantaire yet._" Her thoughts spoke too soon. Grantaire walked into the green room with an unusually red face. He did not sit next to Éponine, but he still did his best to flash a smile in her direction. "_Please, Éponine, don't check your props too closely today..._" his mind screamed.

The director entered to give notes. Éponine was usually quite attentive, but today she only listened for her name. "Macbeths. Y'all need to make the scene where you first see each other a little more believable. It's already really good, just see if you can put a little more passion into it." Grantaire wished more for a drink in that moment than he ever had in his life. Éponine thought she would cry.

When the director was finished, Grantaire walked up to the girl playing Macduff's son. "Hey. Poor bird who didst never fear the net nor lime nor pitfall. Got any gin?" She laughed, which was odd to Grantaire. He had never even heard her talk offstage before, let alone laugh. She shook her head. "Oh well. Thanks anyway. I'll tell my assassins to take it easy on you." He ruffled her wig as she continued to laugh. "No promises." At least spending a second with her calmed his nerves a little bit.

"When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, or in rain?"

Marius scanned the audience. While the house was full, he was happy to see people he recognized. Cosette sat next to him, which delighted him enough. He snorted when he saw Enjolras sitting off by himself, holding a copy of the script as well as his French history textbook under one arm. Seeing Jacob Enjolras with the love of his life gave Marius enough courage to follow suit. Trembling, he stretched his arm around Cosette's shoulders. Seeing his look of shock, she whispered softly in his ear, "No fear, no regrets." He smiled and pulled her in closer, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Fair is foul and foul is fair. Hover through fog and filthy air."

Javert hated a great many things. William Shakespeare's Macbeth was not one of these. However, the only thing he hated more than casual lawbreakers was a paradox. Fair is foul and foul is fair? What could that possibly mean? Could it mean that all that seemed right was wrong, and all that seemed wrong was right? Something deep in his soul burned as he scanned the audience for a familiar face. There was Marius Pontmercy sitting with a girl whom the Inspector knew to be Cosette Fauchelevaunt. Naturally, Cosette's father was watching her closely. Ultimas Fauchelevaunt. There was something so familiar about him... The lights flashed red as the witches onstage crouched together. The auditorium faded to black, obscuring Javert's view of the sainted criminal.

Éponine set herself onstage and moved all her props to their correct positions while the lights were down several scene changes later. She opened the letter that sat on the desk before her, even though she knew its contents by heart. There was an unfamiliar scribble at the bottom, but she could not read it in the darkness. As if cued by her curiosity, the lights came up. "They met me in the day of success: and I have learned from the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge." Éponine's eyes began to scroll further down the page than she should have been at the time. It did not matter, for she could and, according to Cosette, did say that monologue in her sleep. "This I have thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness..."

The audience silently gaped at the way Éponine blushed as she said that line. Character appropriate and perfect tone to accompany the words. To the audience, she was nothing more than a perfect representation of a young Lady Macbeth wholly devoted to her evil husband.

In fact, Éponine had forgotten her character in that moment. Her eyes had shifted to the bottom of the page, where Grantaire had written in bright red ink, "Got your message. Don't know if Enjy told you. Nice proposal, by the way. Total honesty? Let's start right now." Éponine both dreaded and hoped for Grantaire's entrance. "Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear..." Éponine wanted nothing more than for that to actually happen.

Grantaire stood just barely in the shadows offstage. Total honesty. He had chosen the worst possible moment to break it to her, why couldn't he have waited another hour? He savored whatever was left of this innocent time by watching her lovingly as she spoke her lines.

"Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry hold!" Grantaire's movement as he jumped his cue slightly sent Éponine off balance. "Hold!" She gave him the most honest and loving smile she could manage. "Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor! Greater than both by the all-hail hereafter!" She could not help but notice that he was stiff and awkward as he walked toward her. Like he was badly trying to hide something. Éponine braced herself for the impending kiss.

"_Wait, Grantaire, what are you doing? What?_" He was ignoring the blocking they'd set up a month ago. Grantaire reached down to Éponine's side, grabbed her hand, and gently pressed his lips into her knuckle. "_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, GRANTAIRE?_" she wanted to scream it at him. Suddenly it all became clear. He was using her hand to block his mouth as he silently whispered the most meaningful word Éponine could imagine at the moment.

"Now."

The next moment happened too quickly to feel or even see. Grantaire dropped her left hand, which went instantly to his shoulder as her right hand rested on the back of his jaw, letting her fingertips slide just barely into his ebony hair. Éponine let her eyes flutter shut as Grantaire clutched her waist and kissed her passionately. She didn't care if he was bluffing or just acting; she kissed him back with just as much fire. Their combined emotions poured into each other, causing a small tear to roll down Éponine's cheek.

Grantaire brushed the tear away with a gentle thumb. "My dearest love." The sweet rumble of his voice combined with his words only made Éponine want to kiss him again. "Duncan comes here tonight."

"_Don't you dare let go of me right now._" Grantaire kissed her forehead, which was definitely not in the original blocking, and walked away a few steps. Éponine followed him, almost running. "And when goes hence?"

He shrugged, wrapping one arm around her waist. "Tomorrow, as he purposes."

"Oh, never shall sun that morrow see!" Éponine had always been slightly afraid of this part of the scene. Now that she trusted Grantaire completely; however, it was much easier. With surprising strength, he picked her up by the waist and spun her around.

Grantaire had always liked acting because it allowed him to feel feedback from an audience through their applause and expressions. However, today marked the first time he had ever stood on stage wishing there were no audience. He just wanted to share this moment with Éponine and no one else. When her feet touched the ground again, he began kissing her softly. Grantaire would deal with the director later - he just needed this moment to himself. He broke off to breathe. Éponine curled her hand and brushed his cheek with it. "Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters." Grantaire leaned into her palm as it opened. "To beguile the time, look like the time." His eyes opened once again as she said this line. As Éponine backed up, she dropped her hands, only leaving a single finger curled beneath his chin to draw him forward. "Look like the innocent flower..." in letting go, he propelled forward. Her fingers bit into his shoulders as she whispered in his ear, "but be the serpent under it."

Grantaire now drew her to him with a single finger beneath her chin. "We will speak further." He wasn't sure when that would come, but he was glad as long as it was coming.

The audience was left completely breathless at their performance. Lines became monologues, which became dialogues, which became scenes, which became acts, until finally Act 5 scene 5 began.

Éponine loved this scene. She barely listened for Grantaire to say "and beat them backward home" before she screamed. Her screams shook the audience, and evidently Grantaire was affected as well. "What is that noise?" he asked with slight panic.

Courfreyac, who played Seyton, gulped loudly. "It is the cry of women, my good lord." Courfreyac slipped offstage and swatted Éponine's shoulder. "Geez, 'Ponine!" he whispered harshly. "Some of us would still like to hear at the end of the semester." As Éponine laughed, he stepped stiffly back onstage.

"Wherefore was that cry?" Grantaire barked with a ferocity no one had ever heard from him.

"The queen, my lord, is dead."

Grantaire dropped to his knees and bellowed in a way that could wake the dead, with such emotion that every last audience member, including Inspector Javert, was greatly affected. Completely lost in character and in the moment, Éponine realized that large tears were spilling shamelessly from her eyes.

After several more scenes, three to be exact, Grantaire stepped offstage for the last time. "Éponine? What's wrong?" She was sitting on the floor by herself, hugging her knees and trying to hide her face.

"Sorry. Scene 5 hit me harder than I thought it would."

With a benevolent smile, Grantaire sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "You and me both, mon cheri."

In that moment, Éponine finally realized that Grantaire was not bluffing, nor was he ever. With a smile, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his shoulder. All this time, she had thought Marius was blind. In reality, she had been blind all along, and Grantaire was her light.


	9. Epilogue

**Didn't I say there might possibly be an epilogue? Well there isn't. (I have great sarcasm, don't I?) This story has inspired me to continue writing romances because, as it turns out, it's really fun! :D**

* * *

As Grantaire and Éponine walked offstage, they were greeted with loud cheers from everyone still in the audience. Marius and Cosette were quick to hug both of them, but especially Éponine.

"You guys play a really convincing and adorable couple. Wouldn't you agree, Marius?" Cosette asked innocently. Marius nodded, then winked at Éponine when Cosette wasn't looking.

"I take it you're alright with him then?" Grantaire whispered in Éponine's ear. She nodded.

"Oh will you two stop with the whispering already?" Enjolras appeared behind the pair. Grantaire and Éponine exchanged a mischievous smirk, followed by Éponine hugging Enjolras and Grantaire messing up his smooth blonde curls. "Ugh. I swear I'm moving out of my dorm." Enjolras took a second to straighten his hair and jacket, then stepped back to regain his dignity. "That was a nice job, both of you. It was nice."

"Really? Did you really like it, Jake?" Éponine forced out all the fake sweetness she could muster.

Enjolras leaped backwards. "First of all, never under any circumstances call me Jake. Second, yes, I did like it. How can I say no to the classic plot of overthrowing a tyrannical king?" Off in the distance, Inspector Javert laughed a little bit. Enjolras looked down at Grantaire and Éponine's interlocked fingers. "Ugh. I mean, ew. Just... ugh. Get a room, guys." Partly to calm his girlfriend and partly to annoy his roommate, Grantaire solidly placed a kiss on Éponine's forehead.

As Enjolras sprinted away, his copy of the script fell out from under his arm. Already disturbed by the sight of his best friend not only sober but romantically involved with someone, he did not notice. "Monsieur Enjolras?" Inspector Javert called after him. As he returned to retrieve the book, the aging officer smiled. "You went to see a play and brought the script with you?" Enjolras nodded, steadily turning the same color as his jacket. The Inspector continued to laugh, hiding his inner confusion. "I couldn't help but overhear your reason for liking the play. You have a funny way of looking at things."

A little intimidated but also wanting to be friendly, Enjolras tried to continue the conversation. "Is there any particular reason for you liking the play?"

"I've always liked Macbeth's punishment for breaking the law. It's very satisfying to see him get put back in his place at the end. Also, the Weyard sisters, they remind me of," No. Even when slightly drunk, there are some things you just don't tell people. Especially not strange, rebellious college kids. "somebody I once knew."

"Inspector? Are you all right?" Jean Valjean questioned.

"I'm sure I will be, what was your name again? Ultimas?"

It was the first time in 29 years the inspector had used Valjean's first name. "Javert, you're drunk."

"Perhaps a little. I wasn't planning on driving right away. I was going to walk around Hart Park for a while."

Valjean cast him a worried glance. "Stay off those bridges, Monsieur. Honey Creek is unpredictable this time of year."

Javert tipped his hat gravely. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

**What can I say? I like ending with Javert. Hope y'all liked the little bit about Enjy toward the beginning. Usually I romantically ship him with Éponine, so I figured they would be awkward as friends. Awkward, yet adorable. Anyways yes. This is the actual end of the story. Valete and auf wiedersehen!**


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